Mission Groups Warn Misunderstanding of ‘Unreached’ People Hampers Fulfillment of Great Commission

Missionary groups taking part in the third annual International Day for the Unreached later this year have warned that “fuzzy thinking,” such as misunderstanding what “unreached” people actually means, has become an obstacle in fulfilling the Great Commission.

“Let’s be clear. The unreached are not our neighbors or our co-workers who may not be Christians,” Jon Fugler, chairman of the Alliance for the Unreached, said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

“They are not unreached, because they have us. The unreached live in places where no one is there to tell them about Jesus.”

The movement’s mission is to bring the Gospel to the 2 billion people around the globe who have never heard about Christ, which is part of fulfilling the Great Commission that Jesus gave His followers.

This year’s Day for the Unreached is scheduled for Pentecost Sunday, on May 20.

Concern is rising among alliance members that many Christians have ‘lost sight’ of what the term really means, with missionaries going out to the far corners of the world to spread Jesus’ message.

Fugler added: “Of course, believers need to keep praying for and reaching out to those around us who don’t know Christ, but we believe it’s imperative that as a Church we embrace a greater commitment to seeing the Good News taken to the truly unreached — those in places and among people groups where the gospel has yet to be heard.”

He continued: “Fuzzy thinking leads to fuzzy actions. Only when we recognize that talking about the ‘unreached’ really refers to those who truly have not heard — the unreached are those who are ‘unpreached,’ you might say — rather than all non-believers, will we really be more motivated to be part of doing what it takes to follows Jesus’ mandate to go into all the world.”

More missionary groups are joining the alliance this year, with organizers hoping that social media efforts will continue expanding. They noted that 6 million people learned about the International Day for the Unreached through Facebook in 2017.